§ Statement of Purpose

The View from 1776 presents a framework to understand present-day issues from the viewpoint of the colonists who fought for American independence in 1776 and wrote the Constitution in 1787. Knowing and preserving those understandings, what might be called the unwritten constitution of our nation, is vital to preserving constitutional government. Without them, the bare words of the Constitution are just a Rorschach ink-blot that politicians, educators, and judges can interpret to mean anything they wish.

"We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams, to the Officers of the First Brigade, Third Division, Massachusetts Militia, October 11, 1798.

§ Syndicate

The View From 1776

Is The President A Law Unto Himself?

England’s Stuart kings’ repeated efforts to bypass Parliament and to proclaim laws unilaterally led to the Glorious Revolution of 1689 deposing James II and to Parliament’s enacting the English Bill of Rights, the precursor to our own first ten amendments to the Constitution.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/05 at 06:12 PM

Thomas,

I find it hard to believe that you would cite an article partially based on the opinions of John Yoo, the Bush Administration lawyer who wrote the notorious "torture memos" that enabled Bush and Cheney to institute illegal torture as a national policy and thereby trash the reputation of the Country for all time.

If this is not a case of the pot calling the kettle black, I cannot imagine a clearer instance.

If the claim is that Obama's executive actions exceed statutory limits, there are explicit protections in the Constitution for correcting such overreach. Congress can pass clarifying law where they believe a breech has occurred. In worse cases, impeachment is available. If the country is unsatisfied with the presidential direction, it can elect a more conservative president in 2016, and then any executive action taken by a former president can be immediately reversed.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 02/07 at 12:42 PM